Running News Daily

Defending Champions, American Record Holders & Global Stars Highlight 2023 B.A.A. Half Marathon Professional Field

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today a star-studded professional field for the 2023 B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Defending champions Viola Chepngeno, Geoffrey Koech, and Jenna Fesemyer all return, while American half marathon record holder Keira D’Amato will take on the challenging course for the first time on Sunday, November 12. The B.A.A. Half Marathon starts and finishes at Franklin Park and runs along the Emerald Necklace Park System.

“As one of the most competitive half marathons in the country, we’re eager to bring many of the best open, wheelchair, and Para athletes in the world to Boston for November’s B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A. “Nearly 9,000 athletes will take to the roads, led by some of the fastest and most decorated competitors in event history.”

In 2022, Chepngeno (Kenya), Koech (Kenya), and Fesemyer (USA) won the women’s open, men’s open, and women’s wheelchair divisions, respectively, while Marko Cheseto and Jacky Hunt-Broersma (both USA) persevered through rain to finish atop the podium in the Para Athletics Division. To repeat the feat, all will square off against a field that includes national record holders and global medalists.

Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia, the 2022 B.A.A. 5K champion and three-time world championships medalist, looks to continue her winning ways in Boston. She’ll battle Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru, 2019 B.A.A. 10K winner Fancy Chamutai, world cross country silver medalist Tsigie Gebreselama, last year’s runner-up Bosena Mulatie, and two-time B.A.A. Half Marathon second place finisher Cynthia Limo.

Four Americans who competed at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August will toe the line, including D’Amato, Lindsay Flanagan, Susanna Sullivan, and Natosha Rodgers. D’Amato set the national half marathon record of 1:06:39 at this year’s Gold Coast Half Marathon in Australia, and along with Flanagan and Sullivan made up Team USA at the World Championships Marathon. Rodgers raced the 5,000m and 10,000m on the track in Budapest, finishing 14th in the latter event. Rachel Schneider Smith, a 2021 Olympian at 5,000m for Team USA, will be making her B.A.A. Half Marathon debut.

Ten men with sub-61 minute personal bests will line up for the B.A.A. Half Marathon. Abel Kipchumba owns the fastest lifetime best in the field (58:07), while Shadrack Kimining of Kenya, second fastest in the field, placed fifth in 2022. Mohamed El Aaraby (Morocco), Yemane Haileselassie (Eritrea), Pat Tiernan (Australia), and Amanuel Mesel (Eritrea) bring international expertise. The fastest American men’s entrants are Nadir Yusuf (1:03:23), Kevin Koski (1:03:35) and Ryan Cutter (1:03:54) and sub-2:10 marathoner Ian Butler.

Dedham, Mass.-native Brian Reynolds, who set a world record at last year’s B.A.A. Half Marathon in the T62 (lower-limb impairment) category, returns, as does Marko Cheseto (T62) who ran 1:24:54 in 2022. Jacky Hunt-Broersma, last year’s women’s T62 champion, and Liz Willis, a three-time Boston Marathon T62 winner, will compete as well.

In the wheelchair division, Fesemyer set a course record 59:50 in 2022 to become the first women’s wheelchair athlete ever to break one hour in race history. Fellow 2022 women’s wheelchair podium finishers Yen Hoang (second place) and Michelle Wheeler (third) return as well.

James Senbeta and Hermin Garic, veterans of many B.A.A. events, headline the men’s wheelchair field. Garic was victorious at this year’s B.A.A. 10K.

The B.A.A. Half Marathon course runs along the picturesque Emerald Necklace Park System, past landmarks such as the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, and Franklin Park Zoo, before finishing at White Stadium in Franklin Park. The B.A.A. Half Marathon is a family-friendly event for athletes and spectators of all ages. Free youth events will be offered on race morning within Franklin Park, including races and medals for all. 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund has partnered with the B.A.A. Half Marathon since 2003 as the race’s presenting sponsor and exclusive charity team. Through this relationship, Dana-Farber runners have collectively raised more than $8 million to support groundbreaking cancer research, and enabled Dana-Farber scientists and clinicians to positively impact the lives of cancer patients around the world. In advance of the 2023 event, 640 Team Dana-Farber athletes have raised $375,000 to date.

(10/18/2023) Views: 599 ⚡AMP

Amputee ultrarunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma takes on 5,250 kilometer challenge for cancer research

Bladerunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma celebrated being 21 years cancer-free by setting out on a new challenge: the Arizona-based athlete and coach will be running a half marathon a day (21.1K a day) from Aug. 1 until she reaches 5,250 kilometers. Aug. 1 is both the athlete’s amputee anniversary and marks 21 years of being cancer-free, she shared on social media, and this challenge is to honor cancer survivors, those fighting cancer and those who have lost their lives.

Dubbed the ‘Doing Hard Things’ project, Hunt-Broersma chose the distance to represent the number of people fighting cancer each day.”I had Ewing sarcoma,” the runner shared. “I was one of the lucky ones to survive and I’m so grateful to be alive and be able to move. I think movement is so important to not only keep us healthy but also help us cope mentally.”

Hunt-Broersma is raising funds for cancer research and will be dedicating each day to someone fighting cancer or who has lost their life to the disease, and guesses it will take her about 250 days to complete the distance.

Hunt-Broersma lost her lower left leg to Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the tissue around bones, in 2002. While she always lived a healthy lifestyle, she didn’t start running until 2016, when she signed up for a 5K race. Taking on challenging adventures is not new for Hunt-Broersma: she ran 104 marathons in 104 days in 2021, raising over $200,000 for amputee runners, and ran 50K a day for two weeks in July 2022.

The name of her latest project comes from a phrase that carried her through her 104 marathon streak. “When I was running the 104 marathons in 104 days I’d often need encouragement and I’d whisper to myself ‘you can do hard things’ to keep me going when it got really hard,” she explains. “At one point during the marathons, I started believing in myself and that whisper changed to a louder mantra: ‘I can do hard things, I can do hard things.’ ”

The athlete invites runners and walkers of all levels to come out and join her on her daily half-marathon, and will be sharing the location and times of her runs on social media. Runners can show their solidarity from afar by joining the Strava group she has created, called “I can do hard things.” Hunt–Broersma wants everyone to feel included,  she shared on Instagram. “I’m hoping it will create an encouraging space where everyone will feel welcome.”

(08/03/2023) Views: 823 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne

After 113 straight ultramarathons, Candice Burt still isn’t done

American ultrarunner and race director Candice Burt completed a 50K on Sunday morning. She did the same thing on Saturday, and also on Friday, and for 110 days before that. In November, Burt, who hails from Boulder, Colo., decided to shoot for the Guinness World Record for most consecutive ultramarathons.

The previous record was 23 days, a total Burt surpassed about three months ago, and she’s still going, with a whopping 113 consecutive ultramarathons to date.

When Burt started her ultramarathon record attempt, the number to beat was 11 days. The total has reportedly been changed on multiple occasions since Burt set out to break the record, and it currently sits at 23 days on the Guinness World Records site. The record Burt was chasing and has since beaten is listed as a female and non-binary mark, but she has also smashed the male record of 21 days. 

As Burt noted on her website, she can’t recall exactly what sparked her desire to chase this record, but she said it could have been after she saw ultrarunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma run 104 marathons in a row in 2022, or Alyssa Clark, who ran 95 straight marathons in 2020.

Burt added that it may have been her own previous hiking and ultrarunning feats that convinced her she could complete a challenge as big as an ultramarathon streak. But it looks like she could keep going for a while. 

While Burt has now produced an incredible streak of more than 100 days, she wrote that she wasn’t even sure if she could make it to the record. “From the very start of considering the streak I just wanted to be open to doing it for as long as my body would hold up,” she wrote. “I wasn’t sure if that would even be the record-breaking 23 days, but I wanted to try.” Despite this uncertainty, she said that her goal was to go “much, much bigger” than 23 days, and even early in this journey, a result in the triple digits was on her radar. 

Burt is the race director of popular ultras like the Moab 240 and Bigfoot 200.

(02/27/2023) Views: 1,063 ⚡AMP
by Ben Snider-McGrath

2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon Returns to Franklin Park on Sunday

The 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, will be held this Sunday, November 13, starting and finishing within Franklin Park. The event returns to an in-person format for the first time since 2019 and features a star-studded professional field leading the charge for 9,000 entrants from the Greater Boston area and beyond.

To support your coverage of this year’s event, please find event storylines and race information below. Media interested in covering the 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon can submit credential requests here or email media@baa.org for more information. Credential pick-up will occur at the Media Tent within White Stadium on Sunday, beginning at 6:45 a.m. Additional details will be sent in the coming days to those who’ve requested credentials.

The B.A.A. Half Marathon will start at 8:00 a.m. this Sunday, November 13, from Franklin Park. The 13.1-mile course runs along the picturesque Emerald Necklace Park System, past area landmarks such as the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park Zoo, before finishing at White Stadium in Franklin Park. A detailed course map can be found here.

- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund has partnered with the B.A.A. Half Marathon since 2003 as the race’s presenting sponsor and exclusive charity team. Through this relationship, Dana-Farber runners have collectively raised more than $8 million to support groundbreaking cancer research, and enabled Dana-Farber scientists and clinicians to positively impact the lives of cancer patients around the world. A team of 400 athletes will be part of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Jimmy Fund team for this year’s event, having already raised nearly $350,000 to defy cancer.

- At the front of the field, Olympic and Paralympic medalists, Boston Marathon champions, and top international contenders will square off in pursuit of finishing atop the podium. Among the notable professional athletes entered are Olympic marathon bronze medalist and former Boston resident Molly Seidel, two-time Boston Marathon champions Lelisa Desisa and Daniel Romanchuk, and USA Olympian and former American half marathon record holder Molly Huddle. 

Seven women who’ve run under 1:08:30 and nine men with lifetime bests under 1:01:30 will compete on the roads of Boston. Desisa is also a two-time B.A.A. Half Marathon champion and the event record holder (1:00:34). Romanchuk aims to become the first athlete in history to podium at each of the B.A.A.’s four signature events (B.A.A. 5K, B.A.A. 10K, B.A.A. Half Marathon, and Boston Marathon). On Sunday he finished second at the TCS New York City Marathon in 1:27:38.

- For the first time, the B.A.A. Half Marathon will feature a Para Athletics Division showcasing athletes with lower-limb, upper-limb, and visual impairments. Competitors include Jacky Hunt-Broersma (T64, lower-limb impairment), who finished a Guinness World Record 104 marathons in 104 days this year; Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (T62, lower-limb impairment), who won the Para Athletics Division at the 2021 and 2022 Boston Marathons (timing 2:37:01 in April) and Brian Reynolds (T62, lower-limb impairment), who has run a world best 1:17 for the half marathon. The B.A.A. Half Marathon course is World Para Athletics record eligible, signaling that national or world records may be in jeopardy of falling on race day for wheelchair and Para athletes.

- Among the field of nearly 9,000 participants are 257 athletes also entered in April’s 127th Boston Marathon. Participants in this year’s B.A.A. Half Marathon are from 46 U.S. states (plus Washington, DC) and 95 countries.

- 1,418 participants are aiming to complete the 2022 B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three-race series which includes April’s B.A.A. 5K, June’s B.A.A. 10K, and November’s B.A.A. Half Marathon. The B.A.A. Distance Medley series provides athletes a year-long way to experience training and racing at three different distances, with the aim of improving fitness throughout the calendar year.  

- The B.A.A. Half Marathon is a family-friendly event for athletes and spectators of all ages. Free youth events will be offered on race morning within Franklin Park, including races and medals for all. Youth track races will begin on the White Stadium track at 8:20 a.m. Registration will open at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.

- Spectators and runners are encouraged to download the B.A.A. Racing App powered by TCS for live race day tracking, leaderboards, results, custom selfie stations, course maps, information, and more. The B.A.A. Racing App is available for free within Apple iOS and Android.

- On display for viewing at the 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon will be an Indigenous Peoples' Day Banner, created by Boston Art Institute alum Yatika Fields (Osage/Cherokee/Creek) which honors the Boston Marathon's Indigenous runners, past and present. Following the Awards Ceremony on race day, the banner will be blessed as it is sent from Boston to its home with Wings of America in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where it will inspire young Native runners.

The blessing will be given by Hiawatha Brown (Narragansett), the longest serving Tribal Councilman, a Veteran of the United States Navy, and the nephew of two-time Boston Marathon Champion, Ellison 'Tarzan' Brown. Words will be offered from Robert Peters, a Mashpee Wampanoag artist who contributed his talent to the mural, on behalf of himself, Yatika Fields, and Wings of America Executive Director, Dustin Martin (Dine). Also in attendance will be Jordan Marie Daniel (Kul Wicasa Lakota) who is participating in the 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon and is featured on the banner.

- A prize purse of $96,200 is available for professional athletes in the open, wheelchair, masters, and Para Athletics Divisions.

- Course records for the B.A.A. Half Marathon are:

Open Men: 1:00:34, Lelisa Desisa (Ethiopia), 2013 (Lelisa Desisa is competing in this year’s race, aiming to win his third B.A.A. Half Marathon title)

Open Women: 1:07:40, Brillian Kipkoech (Kenya), 2019

Wheelchair Men: 53:07, Tony Nogueira (New Jersey), 2008 and 2004

Wheelchair Women: 1:00:43, Katrina Gerhard (Massachusetts), 2019.

(11/10/2022) Views: 1,131 ⚡AMP

Lelisa Desisa, Vicoty Chepngeno, Molly Seidel, Molly Huddle Running 2022 BAA Half

The Boston Athletic Association today announced the professional field for the 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, to be held on Sunday, November 13.

Two-time Boston Marathon champions Lelisa Desisa and Daniel Romanchuk return, while 2021 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel and two-time Olympian Molly Huddle lead the American charge. Seven women who’ve run under 1:07:30 and nine men with lifetime bests under 1:01:30 will compete on the roads of Boston.

The B.A.A. Half Marathon will be run for the first time in-person since 2019, beginning and finishing in Boston’s Franklin Park. The event begins at 8:00 a.m. with a field of nearly 9,000 participants. Open registration is already sold out, however entries remain available through presenting sponsor Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

Seidel, a former Boston resident, will make her B.A.A. Half Marathon debut as she returns to racing. The 2:24:42 marathoner and former NCAA champion at Notre Dame finished fifth at the 2018 B.A.A. 5K and 10th at the 2019 B.A.A. 10K.

Huddle, a 28-time USA national champion, will race at the B.A.A. Half eight years after placing third in 2014. B.A.A. High Performance team member Erika Kemp –a two-time USA national champion at 20K and 15K— will also compete among the strong American field, fresh off a win at the Boston 10K for Women on October 8.

“The B.A.A. Half Marathon is always a fun fall event, and I’m eager to race again through Boston with hopes of returning to the podium,” said Huddle.

The international women’s contingent is led by 2022 Houston Half Marathon winner Vicoty Chepngeno of Kenya, who owns the fastest lifetime best (1:05:03), though is followed closely by Ethiopia’s Bosena Mulatie (1:05:46). Mulatie was eighth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships 10,000m in Oregon over the summer. Other athletes with world championships experience include Kenya’s Margaret Wangari and Cynthia Limo, and British duo Jess Piasecki and Calli Thackery. Wangari earned a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Marathon, and placed fifth at the B.A.A. Half Marathon in 2018. Limo is the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships silver medalist.

On the men’s side, Desisa, winner of the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2015, owns a pair of B.A.A. Half Marathon titles from 2013 and 2014, as well as the event record (1:00:34). The Ethiopian fan favorite is also the event record holder (1:00:34), and considers Boston his second home.

“Boston holds a special place in my heart and I’m excited to return again to race in the B.A.A. Half Marathon, where I have had great success before,” said Desisa. “I hope to run very well again!”

Kenyans Josphat Tanui (59:22) and Shadrack Kimining (59:27) have the two fastest personal bests in the field, which includes five men who have run under one hour for the half marathon. Geoffrey Koech, the 2022 Cardiff Half winner, and Ethiopian Tsegay Kidanu, 11th at the Copenhagen Half Marathon, are competing, as is Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi, the third-place finisher at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K. The top American entrant is Teshome Mekonen, who formerly represented Ethiopia internationally, has run 1:00:02, and won this year’s Brooklyn Half.

Daniel Romanchuk, two-time Boston Marathon wheelchair division champion and 2019 B.A.A. 10K winner, looks to win his first B.A.A. Half title, joined by Boston Marathon top-20 finishers Hermin Garic, Dustin Stallberg and Velera Jacob Allen. Jenna Fesemyer and Yen Hoang, both 2021 Paralympians for Team USA, will race as well. Fesemyer won this year’s B.A.A. 5K.

“I’m very much looking forward to racing the B.A.A. Half Marathon for the first time,” said Romanchuk, who finished runner-up at the Chicago Marathon on October 9. “I’ve raced the Boston Marathon, B.A.A. 5K, and B.A.A. 10K, and am excited to add the Half Marathon. I can’t wait to be back in Boston.”

For the first time, the B.A.A. Half Marathon course will be World Para Athletics certified, eligible for world or national records to be set by Para athletes. Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (T62), Brian Reynolds (T62), and Jacky Hunt-Broersma (T64) each have Boston Marathon Para Athletics Divisions experience and are eligible for prize money.

(10/19/2022) Views: 1,015 ⚡AMP

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri is moving to Colorado to pursue her marathon ambitions

When Hellen Obiri moves 14,000 kilometers from Kenya to Colorado later this year, she already knows she'll miss some of the comforts of home.

That includes Kenyan food and the country's staple of ugali -- a dense porridge made from maize flour.

"Kenyans, we like eating ugali," Obiri tells CNN Sport. "I will have to find where I'm going to make my Kenyan food over there (in the United States)."

A good ugali may hold the keys to successfully fueling the next steps of her distance-running career. Obiri, a two-time world champion over 5,000 meters, is racing her first ever marathon in New York later this year, ahead of which she will team up with a new coach and new training group in Boulder, Colorado. 

It's common for distance runners to make the move from track to road racing towards the end of their careers, but less common to do so by moving halfway across the world in the way Obiri has planned. 

At the start of this year, the 32-year-old joined On Athletics Club (OAC), an elite team based in Boulder and led by former distance runner Dathan Ritzenhein. She hopes to move to the US next month in advance of racing the New York City Marathon on November 6.

"We've been wanting to move to the USA for training and to live there, so for me it's not a difficult move," Obiri, who will be based outside Kenya for the first time in her career, tells CNN. 

"I think as an athlete and for my family, I want to move there to acclimatize well as soon as possible ... It will take me two weeks at least to get used to it and catch up with my training.

Boulder's high-altitude, rolling trails and temperate climate make it an ideal location for distance runners. There, Obiri will join a relatively new team in OAC, which was launched by the Swiss sportswear brand On in 2020.

Under Ritzenhein's guidance, Obiri has already started her marathon program and this week increases her training load from 180 to 200 kilometers of running per week. She begins the next chapter in her career having established herself as one of the best 5,000 and 10,000-meter runners in the world over the past five years. 

Just last month, she won a silver medal in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships -- clocking a personal best of 30 minutes and 10 seconds -- and has won 5,000m silver medals at the past two Olympic Games to go alongside her two world titles in the event. 

'It showed me how strong our bodies can be,' says amputee athlete Jacky Hunt-Broersma after running 104 marathons in 104 days

Her debut in New York will be the first indicator of how Obiri's track-running pedigree translates over the 26.2 miles of the marathon.

"I can't say I'm going to target this time or this time -- it's my debut," she says. "I can't say maybe I want to do sub 2:20, 2:25 because I know the New York Marathon is a tough course, especially the second half."

Starting on Staten Island, the challenging course undulates through New York's five boroughs before finishing down Fifth Avenue and into Central Park. 

"For me, I want to train well because it's my debut, and for sure, I'm looking forward to running a good race -- I'm looking forward to running my own race with no pressure and to finish well," Obiri adds. 

She says she will miss racing her favorite distance of 5,000m but won't fully hang up her track spikes with the switch to marathon running.

"You can't move up to the marathon without speed," Obiri explains, adding that she hopes to stay sharp by competing in 5,000m races in Kenya next year.

The immediate focus, however, is on getting settled with her family in the US. Obiri hopes, visa-depending, that her seven-year-old daughter, Tania, will move in time to watch the race in New York. 

"She's going to be so excited to go outside the country," says Obiri. "She actually watches most of my races and she's so excited about me winning some races over there.

"When I'm out at a race, she knows mommy's not around, mommy's going out there to do some work. She actually calls me and says: 'Mom, do your best and be number one.' She always wants me to be number one."

Obiri's daughter won't be the only one holding high expectations at the NYC Marathon. Kenyan athletes have dominated the event over the past decade with eight winners in the women's race since 2010, and those watching back home will be hoping Obiri can add to that legacy. 

But regardless of how she performs, when she winds her way through New York's five boroughs in November, Obiri will signal the start of a new stage in her running career and a new adventure for her family.

(08/10/2022) Views: 1,042 ⚡AMP
by George Ramsay

Amputee ultrarunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma is running 50K a day

Bladerunner and Jacky Hunt-Broersma is celebrating being alive with her latest running challenge. Arizona-based athlete and coach Hunt-Broersma will be running 50 km a day until August 14, her birthday, when she will run 47 km to toast her age. Aug. 1 is both the athlete’s amputee anniversary and marks 20 years of being cancer-free, she shared on Instagram.

Hunt-Broersma lost her lower left leg to Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the tissue around bones, in 2002. While she always lived a healthy lifestyle, she didn’t start running until 2016, when she signed up for a 5K race and rapidly progressed from there.

The athlete quickly progressed to marathons, trail races and ultras and is currently training for her second attempt at the Moab 240 ultratrail race.

Hunt-Broersma has continuously set the bar high in her running career–remarkable not only because of the hurdles she overcomes to compete but also because she used to hate running. She ran 104 marathons in 104 days earlier this year, breaking the record (at that time) for most consecutive marathons.

While her record has also since been beaten, the achievement raised close to $200,000 for other amputee bladerunners, helping them access expensive prosthetics. Hunt-Broersma’s own running prosthetic costs $20,000.

While 104 consecutive marathons, or several weeks of daily 50 km runs, is more than most endurance athletes will ever tackle, for Hunt-Broersma these are perfect training runs for Moab 240 on Oct. 7.

Hunt-Broersma says that her motivation comes from her desire to not be defined by her appearance. “There’s a drive in me, because I’m not disabled, and I don’t want to be labeled as someone with a disability,” she says. “I want to show the world what I can do.”

(08/01/2022) Views: 973 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne

Scottish couple runs record breaking 106 marathons in 106 days

Two runners from Aberdeen, Scotland, have unofficially broken the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive marathons with 106. Fay Cunningham and Emma Petrie began the challenge on February 19 and completed their final marathon, 106 days later on Saturday, June 4.

The duo ran a total of 106 marathons, which equates to 2,777 miles (4,469 km), equivalent to running from their home in Scotland to Istanbul, Turkey. Throughout their journey, the duo raised $40,000 for MND & Macmillian charity for dementia.

Cunningham and Perie were hoping to raise $150,000 in memory of Cunningham’s late father, Alan, who died of dementia. “We both know that life is short and the ability to run or walk doesn’t stay with you forever,” Cunningham says. “My father was fit and active and he inspired us to tackle this challenge.”

Over the 106 days, Petrie and Cunningham wore out seven pairs of running shoes and consumed over 4,000 calories daily. Their 100th consecutive marathon was celebrated at the Edinburgh Marathon on May 29, where both finished just under five hours. The couple awaits official verification from Guinness, but they are confident they have met the record criteria for consecutive daily marathons.

American Alyssa Clark currently holds the official women’s record, completing 95 consecutive marathons in 2020. But in April, British runner Kate Jayden claimed the unofficial record of 101 marathons in 101 days, only to be broken by South African runner Jacky Hunt-Broersma, who lost a leg to cancer in 2001, ran 104 marathons in 104 days.

In an interview with the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), Cunningham said she didn’t know if Jayden’s or Boersma’s records would be verified because some of the marathons they ran were on treadmills. “We believe the record only stands if you run all the marathons outdoors,” she says. “But even so, we ensured we would set a new record by adding six marathons to get to 106 outdoor marathons in 106 days.”

Cunningham, 35, and Petrie, 26, are both personal trainers who are in love with fitness and the outdoors and each other. Besides personal training, the duo also has a YouTube channel where they attempt challenges set by professional athletes.

Both runners hoped this achievement can inspire others to get out there and do something they’ve always wanted to do.

(06/07/2022) Views: 1,159 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Boston Marathon Champions & National Record Holders Headline Professional Field for 2022 B.A.A. 10K

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced a star-studded field for the 2022 B.A.A. 10K, presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to be held on Sunday, June 26. Evans Chebet, the 2022 Boston Marathon men’s open division champion, will return to Boston, while recently crowned American half marathon record holder Emily Sisson will lead the women’s field on the roads of Back Bay. Four-time B.A.A. 5K champion and American 5K record holder Ben True will also make his B.A.A. 10K debut.

The B.A.A. 10K starts and finishes on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common and Boston Public Garden, and is widely regarded as one of the fastest 10K races in the world. Registration remains open at www.baa.org, while athletes interested in supporting Brigham and Women's Hospital, the B.A.A. 10K’s presenting sponsor and exclusive fundraising partner, are encouraged to visit www.runbwh.org/10k.

“We’re excited to continue to showcase the world’s most accomplished runners at our B.A.A. events,” said Mary Kate Shea, the B.A.A.’s Director of Professional Athletes and Technical Support. “We’re looking forward to cheering on all participants as they race towards the finish.”

The B.A.A. 10K women’s race brings together Boston Marathon champions Des Linden (2018) and Edna Kiplagat (2017), American record holder Sisson, 2017 B.A.A. 10K winner Joan Chelimo Melly, 2022 Boston Marathon top American Nell Rojas, 2016 USA Olympian Marielle Hall, and USA 15K runner-up Emily Durgin.

Sisson, a Providence College graduate and 2021 Olympian, ran 1:07:11 on May 7 to win the USATF Half Marathon Championships in a new national record. She’s also the defending USA 15K champion.

“Breaking the American record in the half marathon was very exciting and I'm now looking forward to switching things up and racing different distances,” said Sisson. “The 10K is a fun and different challenge and I always love racing in Boston.”

Additional international entrants include Biruktayit Degefa of Ethiopia, who has won a quartet of American road races this spring, and Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, who placed third at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K in April. From the B.A.A. High Performance team are Erika Kemp and Abbey Wheeler; Kemp is a two-time national champion.

In the men’s race, Chebet looks to become only the second Boston Marathon champion to win the B.A.A. 10K, joining the likes of 2011 winner and course record holder Geoffrey Mutai. Chebet stormed to his first Boston Marathon victory in 2:06:51 on April 18.

“After winning the 2022 Boston Marathon, I’m excited to return to the city to run the B.A.A. 10K with a world class field,” said Chebet. “Boston feels like a second home to me now.”

Challenging Chebet from Kenya are David Bett, the reigning 2019 B.A.A. 10K winner; Kennedy Kimutai, the fastest man in the field with a 27:09 lifetime best; Bravin Kiptoo, the 2019 African junior 10,000m champion; and Nicholas Kosimbei, winner of this year’s Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington, D.C. Brothers Jake and Zane Robertson, a dynamic pair from New Zealand who have lived and trained in Kenya, will also race. Recent Iowa State graduate and NCAA champion Wesley Kiptoo will make his Boston road racing debut.

Maine-native Ben True will return to familiar territory, having won the B.A.A. 5K four times, including a national-record setting run of 13:20 in 2017.  Fellow American contenders include Olympians Leonard Korir and Shadrack Kipchirchir, Princeton, Mass.-native Colin Bennie, and a quartet of B.A.A. High Performance Team members in Jerrell Mock, Matt McDonald, Jonas Hampton, and Paul Hogan. Korir enters the B.A.A. 10K hot off a pair of national title wins at the USATF Half Marathon and USATF 25K Championships in May.

In the wheelchair division, Jenna Fesemyer, the 2022 B.A.A. 5K women’s winner, Susannah Scaroni, the 2022 Boston Marathon runner-up, and 2020 Paralympian Yen Hoang are entered. Scaroni earned a gold medal on the track at the 2021 Paralympic Games in the 5000m, and is the fastest women’s wheelchair marathoner in U.S. history. James Senbeta and Hermin Garic are the top men’s wheelchair entrants.

For the first time in race history, Para Athletics Divisions will be offered for athletes with upper-limb, lower-limb, and visual impairments. Among the entrants confirmed include Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, Chaz Davis, and Liz Willis, each of whom won Para Division titles at April’s 126th Boston Marathon. Jacky Hunt-Broersma, who ran 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days for a Guinness World Record, and local Para athlete Adrianne Haslet are also entered.

In addition to racing, top professional athletes will participate in the first-ever B.A.A. 10K Fest & Field Day on Saturday, June 25, one day prior to the race. From 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Boston Common, 10K Fest & Field Day will feature youth fitness activities, games, appearances by professional athletes, running clinics, and more. Participants will also be able to pick-up their participant shirts and bib numbers at 10K Fest. Additional details will be available on baa.org in the coming weeks.

Registration for the 2022 B.A.A. 10K, presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is currently open through the B.A.A.’s online platform Athletes’ Village. All participants who enter will receive an adidas participant shirt, unique bib number, and finisher medal. Additional participant information can be found on baa.org. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 26 on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.

Brigham and Women's Hospital, the B.A.A. 10K’s presenting sponsor and exclusive fundraising partner, will again field a team of fundraising runners. Since 2016, more than 2,100 runners and 180 teams have raised $1.2 million to fuel life-giving breakthroughs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Learn more and register at www.runbwh.org/10k.

On June 1, the B.A.A. will celebrate Global Running Day with a special pop-up location at the Boston Marathon Finish Line between 3:00-6:00 p.m. Runners can take a picture with the Boston Marathon trophy, receive giveaways, refreshments, and more! RSVP for the free event on our Facebook page, and log miles throughout the day as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Global Running Day Challenge. Visit https://bstnmar.org/GRD22 to sign up for free, track your miles, and print a bib to wear as you join a global community of athletes around the world logging miles.

2022 B.A.A. 10K WOMEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 10K PB)

Joan Chelimo Melly, Romania, 30:14^

Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 31:06*

Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 31:06

Mary Munanu, Kenya, 31:20

Biruktayit Degefa, Ethiopia, 31:23

Emily Sisson, USA, 31:47

Emily Durgin, USA, 31:49

Diane Nukuri, USA, 31:49

Lanni Marchant, Canada, 31:49

Vibian Chepkirui, Kenya, 31:49

Nell Rojas, USA, 31:52

Erika Kemp, USA, 32:18

Laura Thweatt, USA, 32:20

Elaina Tabb, USA, 32:40

Rachel Schneider Smith, USA, 32:47

Abbey Wheeler, USA, DB (32:53.50 10,000m)

Grayson Murphy, USA, 32:55

Fiona O’Keeffe, USA, 32:57

Katie Kellner, USA, 33:05

Des Linden, USA, 33:06*

Taylor Werner, USA, 33:35

Marielle Hall, USA, 33:36 (31:05.71 10,000m)

Allie Hackett, USA, 35:17

Jesca Chelangat, Kenya, DB (15:16 5K)

Courtney Hawkins, USA, DB (37:59.99 10,000m)

^ = Previous B.A.A. 10K Champion

* = Previous Boston Marathon Champion

 

2022 B.A.A. 10K MEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 10K PB)

Kennedy Kimutai, Kenya, 27:09

Bravin Kiptoo, Kenya, 27:12

Philemon Kiplimo, Kenya, 27:23

Zane Robertson, New Zealand, 27:28

Jake Robertson, New Zealand, 27:28

Wesley Kiptoo, Kenya, N/A (27:37.29 10,000m)

Ben True, USA, 27:51

Nicholas Kosimbei, Kenya, 27:52

John Dressel, USA, N/A (27:57.51 10,000m)

David Bett, Kenya, 28:08^

Dominic Korir, Kenya, 28:08

Leonard Korir, USA, 28:09

Shadrack Kipchirchir, USA, 28:12

David Nilsson, Sweden, 28:13

Tsegay Tuemay, Eritrea, 28:13

Bethwell Yegon, Kenya, 28:24

Reuben Mosip, Kenya, 28:28

Paul Hogan, USA, N/A (28:49.55 10,000m)

Johannes Motschmann, Germany, 28:51

Alex Masai, Kenya, 28:53

Colin Bennie, USA, 28:55

Futsum Zienasellassie, USA, 29:03

Matt McClintock, USA, 29:02

Jacob Thomson, USA, 29:07

John Raneri, USA, 29:19

Evans Chebet, Kenya, 29:30*

Jerrell Mock, USA, 29:36

Aaron Dinzeo, USA, 29:37

Matt McDonald, USA, 29:38

Diego Estrada, USA, 29:41

Fabiano Sulle, Tanzania, 29:53

Jonas Hampton, USA, 30:15

Tim McGowan, USA, 30:17

Connor McMillan, USA, 30:20

Josh Kalapos, USA, N/A (14:33.88 5,000m)

^ = Previous B.A.A. 10K Champion

* = Previous Boston Marathon Champion

 

(06/01/2022) Views: 1,259 ⚡AMP

Amputee runner Jacky Hunt-Broersma completes 102 marathons in 102 days

As Forrest Gump in the Oscar-winning 1994 film of the same name, lead actor Tom Hanks abruptly trots to a halt after more than three years of nonstop running and tells his followers, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now."

Jacky Hunt-Broersma can relate. On Thursday, the amputee athlete achieved her goal of running 102 marathons in as many days, setting an unofficial women's world record.

And she can't stop/won't stop, saying she will run two more for good measure and wrap up her challenge Saturday with 104.

"I might as well end April with a marathon," she told The Associated Press.

Britain-based Guinness World Records did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Guinness lists the men's record for consecutive daily marathons as 59, set in 2019 by Enzo Caporaso of Italy. It can take up to a year for the organization to ratify a world record.

"I'm just happy that I made it. I can't believe it," Hunt-Broersma said. "The best thing was the incredible support I've received from people around the world who've reached out, telling me how this has inspired them to push themselves."

Hunt-Broersma, 46, began her quest Jan. 17, covering the classic 26.2-mile marathon distance on a loop course laid out near her home in Gilbert, Arizona, or on a treadmill indoors. Since then, it's been "rinse and repeat" every day for the South Africa native, who lost her left leg below the knee to a rare cancer and runs on a carbon-fiber prosthesis.

Her original goal was to run 100 marathons in 100 days so she would beat the record of 95 set in 2020 by Alyssa Amos Clark, a nondisabled runner from Bennington, Vermont, who took it on as a pandemic coping strategy. But earlier this month, after nondisabled British runner Kate Jayden unofficially broke Clark's record with 101 marathons in 101 days, Hunt-Broersma realized she would need to run at least 102.

On foot, day in and day out, she has covered 2,672 miles -- the equivalent of running from her Phoenix suburb to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, or from New York City to Mexico City.

Along the way, Hunt-Broersma gained a huge social media following and raised nearly $27,000 to help fellow amputee blade runners get the expensive prostheses they need. Health insurance typically doesn't cover the cost, which can exceed $10,000.

Hunt-Broersma, who ran her 92nd at this month's Boston Marathon, hopes her quest will inspire people everywhere to push themselves to do hard things.

What's next for the endurance athlete? A 240-mile ultrarace to be staged over mountainous terrain in October in Moab, Utah.

 

(04/29/2022) Views: 1,509 ⚡AMP

Bladerunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma on her way to completing 100 marathons in 100 days, she is 72 marathons into her 100-day journey

On January 17, Jacky Hunt-Broersma ran a marathon. Since then, she has completed 72 more en route to reaching her goal of running 100 marathons in 100 days, to break the Guinness World Record for running the most consecutive marathons. We caught up with the Arizona-based ultrarunner to find out how she’s managing such a daunting undertaking.

“I’m feeling quite good,” says Hunt-Broersma. “I’ve had some tough days, but overall it’s been going really well.”

Every day, she gets up in the morning, helps her kids get ready for school, then prepares to tackle her next marathon. The physical challenge of a goal like this is enormous (especially considering she is running on a prosthetic), but Hunt-Broersma says it’s the mental challenge that’s been the toughest part. “Just getting up and doing the same thing every day has been tough,” she says.

To change things up, Hunt-Broersma has done her marathons on the roads, trails and the treadmill. More than just a change of scenery, varying the surface has helped her physically, as well. After finding that the road was beating up on her body, she’s moved many of her runs to a dirt trail near her home that’s more forgiving, and alternated that with runs on the treadmill. “The treadmill works my muscles slightly differently than running outside, so it helps a bit with recovery,” she says.

Of course, running with a prosthetic leg comes with its own set of challenges that a runner with two legs would not have to deal with. The volume of running Hunt-Broersma is doing every day frequently causes swelling behind her knee near the bottom of her stump, which pushes the bone out of position. A daily part of recovery for her is icing her stump and massaging it to bring down the swelling so the bone can move back to the correct spot. “I’ve had to stop mid-run a few times to massage my stump so I can get going again,” she says.

The highs and lows

Unsurprisingly, in a journey of this length and magnitude, there have been good days and bad days. “Sometimes, after I have a really difficult run, I wonder how I’m going to get through another one the next day,” says Hunt-Broersma. “But then the next day feels like I didn’t run at all the day before.”

There have also been some particularly difficult days, like on day 35, when she ran a half-marathon race in the morning, then came home and ran another 21.1K to complete her marathon distance for the day. A few people called her out on social media, arguing it didn’t count because she split it into two runs, so to be safe, she ran another full marathon that day. That made for a total of 84.4 kilometers in one day, after 34 consecutive marathons.

Day 72 was also particularly tough. “I had a bit of an emotional breakdown on my run yesterday,” she says. “I was questioning whether or not I could do this, so I cried a bit, then picked myself up and got the job done.”

When asked how she gets through her runs every day, Hunt-Broersma says she tries to focus on taking it one mile at a time. On the really tough days, she gives herself mid-run pep talks to remind herself of her capabilities and her goal (if you live in Arizona, don’t be alarmed if you see a woman running toward you talking to herself).

Finally, she says the support she’s received from her family and friends has been phenomenal, and her daughter has even joined her for a few miles here and there. “My kids are always coming home from school, asking me if I’ve run my marathon yet today,” she says. The support from the online community has also been overwhelming, and Hunt-Broersma has received several messages from fellow runners, who’ve said she’s inspired them to get out the door for their run, even when they didn’t feel like it.

Hunt-Broersma has 27 days left to go on her journey and can use all the support and well wishes she can get. She is also 65 per cent of the way to reaching her fundraising goal of $10,000 for the Amputee Blade Runners organization, which provides running blades for amputees. You can donate to the cause on her GoFundMe page, and follow her progress on Instagram.

(03/31/2022) Views: 1,103 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine

Bladerunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma, is aiming to complete 100 marathons in 100 days

This year, Jacky Hunt-Broersma is looking to add another record to her name. The multiple-time ultramarathon finisher and world record-holder has committed to running 100 marathons in 100 days, to break the Guinness World Record for most consecutive marathons.

Broersma got the idea after she saw Alyssa Clark of Vermont set the record last year at 95 days. Clark had been aiming to hit 100 marathons but was forced to cut her challenge short after contracting COVID-19. “This got me thinking, maybe this is something I could take on and it would be a great way to start the new year and help me build up a great base for The Moab 240 race in October,” says Broersma.

Being an experienced ultramarathoner, Broersma is well-equipped to handle a challenge of this magnitude. She finished a 100-mile race at the beginning of January, and although she says she hadn’t fully recovered by the time she started her marathon streak, she says this challenge is more mental than physical. For this reason, staying positive through each of her runs has been the most important key to her success thus far.

When we first spoke with Broersma, she had completed 10 marathons, and by the time of publishing that number had grown to 14. She tells us her biggest challenge is getting enough sleep to recover. “I am amazed at how incredible our bodies are,” she says. “The first five marathons were tough because my body was adjusting to the distance, but slowly my body started adapting.” She adds that her shin is hurting and her knee feels a bit sensitive, but her stump is holding out very well.

Broersma says she’s taking each day as it comes and trying her best to listen to her body. “Some marathons are slower than others and some are faster, it just depends on how my body feels in the morning,” she says. “I am making sure I use my massage gun every day on any tight muscles, eating well so I can recover and icing my stump if it is needed.”

Running for a reason

Aside from trying to break the Guinness World Record, Broersma is using her challenge to raise money for Amputee Blade Runners, an organization that provides running blades for amputees. She explains that running-specific blades can cost between $10,000 and $20,000, and in the United States they’re not always covered by health insurance so many amputees don’t have the opportunity to run the way she has.

“When I became an amputee one of the biggest challenges for me was accepting the way I looked and it can be a really tough journey,” says Broersma. “Running changed that for me, it gave me confidence in my body and confidence to be who I am. Running makes me feel strong and fearless and grateful for the body I have, even when part of it is missing. This is what I want for all amputees.”

So far, Broersma says she has had incredible support from around the world, with people sending messages of encouragement every day. She’s also received messages from people with disabilities who’ve been inspired by her to start running and hiking, which was her ultimate goal to begin with. “I hope by doing this that it will inspire people to get out of their comfort zones, even if it is to have the courage to take on their first 5k race,” she says. “We are always more capable than we think.”

If you’d like to support Broersma and follow along with her journey, you can keep up-to-date with her on her Instagram or Twitter pages where she posts daily updates, and you can donate to her cause on her GoFundMe page.

(02/01/2022) Views: 1,167 ⚡AMP
by Brittany Hambleton